Posts from — August 2009

Tying wellness activities into holiday themes is a plan frequently used to create interest and participation. Still, be aware that offering holiday activities in the worksite can create problems. Your worksite may have policies and guidelines already in place about problems such as appropriate decorations themes, work time, etc. Be sure to check with upper management regarding all guidelines and policies.

Remember to include and acknowledge the holiday celebrations of the various cultures or groups represented in your workforce. It is generally safer to use graphics, themes, and wording that are not specific to one culture, as others might feel left out. In fact, acknowledging diverse holidays, if done respectfully, can help familiarize your workforce with values and practices of different cultures and ethnic groups.

A few topical ideas for holiday themes include:
• Company Health Promotion Program Committee participants distribute “healthy heart valentines” to each employee for Valentine’s Day.
• Thanksgiving “turkey trot”. Employees who exercise three times a week for at least one-half hour between November 1 and 15 are entered into a drawing for a free turkey (can be purchased at the local grocery store or donated).
• Chinese New Year tai chi demonstration. Consider a follow-up worksite introductory tai chi class offering.
• Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/etc. holiday food potluck. Participants of different cultural or ethnic groups bring in a dish reflective of their holiday traditions. Each person can say a few words about the origin and tradition behind the food. In this holiday theme, food need not be low fat or particularly healthy, since the purpose is enhancing cultural diversity, not counting calories.

Pre/Post Holiday Weigh In

Holiday weight gain can be a large health challenge. This wellness program exercise is fun, low-key, and helps staff members monitor their weight during the holiday season.
• Members weigh-in with a “trusted” confident prior to Thanksgiving. The weigh-ins may be conducted on the honor system, but weight must be recorded on a weight-tracking card. You might invite a local nurse or Weight Watchers representative to monitor weigh-ins.
• employees set a personal intention of maintaining their weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.
• Weight cards are stored in a secure file location.
• Give weekly weight control hints. These ought to be posted next to the wellness bulletin board, sent via email, or given in handout form.
• Or, alternate the weekly hints with healthy recipe options.
• Remind employees of the necessity to continue physical activity during the full holiday season.
• Weigh everyone the first work day following New Year’s Day. Record the weight on the tracking card.
• employees who have maintained their weight or who have lost weight receive a prize and award certificate.
• employees who gained weight receive a certificate of completion and an invitation to continue participation in a related health weight wellness activity.

National health observance campaigns can lighten workload and effort. Many of these well-developed observances have kits and materials which can either be downloaded for no cost or purchased inexpensively. Monthly health themes, week long programs, and nationally recognized days of the year are also wonderful ways to have fun while participating in larger programs. Health observances are tied to almost every aspect of wellness and health. Things to consider:

• National observances present opportunities to work with other neighborhood agencies and companies to begin larger events and celebrations.
• A wellness message is more likely to stick with people if the information is presented at work, in local grocery stores, and on television.
• National Employee Fitness Day/Week (April) is a good place to start.
• A word of advice: do not go overboard in attempting to tie a wellness program into these national observances, as there are so many. Pick one to three events per year and stick with these. Establish and promote events well ensuring that employees will come to expect and anticipate these programs each year. It is best to do a few Company Wellness Programs very well than a myriad of promotions poorly.

Many staff members enjoy group related activities. These activities usually take place on an employee’s time away from work and participation is completely voluntary in nature. Even though the sports group is not part of an employee’s regular work duties, if the group or exercise is associated with the corporation, the corporation might be held liable in the event of an employee injury. If the exercise brings with it a risk of injury, it is necessary to address the possible risk and liability concerns with the correct corporation department. Also consult with your organization’s workers’ compensation carrier and/or legal counsel.
• Design summer softball or volleyball teams, a winter ski outing, fall and winter smoke-free bowling teams, a spring golf tournament, summer walks, etc.
• Give brochures and catalogs from area Parks and Recreation departments and county park businesses so employee can take advantage of community leagues, trips and offerings.
• Invite an official from one of the above organizations to speak at a corporation brown bag event, or invite an area Parks and Recreation instructor to provide a demonstration of a new class offering.

Family Friendly Activities

Periodically offer activities which can be taken home and shared with the entire family. Ideas for these include:
• TV Free Week (usually in April): Develop a chart for the little ones to use to record their TV-free participation.
• Offer a certificate to anyone who is TV-free for a week.
• If possible, offer a few prizes (but not video rental certificates, video games or other TV-related items) for related categories, such as less than 5 hours of TV, no video games for a week, etc.

Stress Management

Many simple wellness activities and practices can help staff members understand the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and work rate. It is crucial to help staff members understand simple stress management strategies for decreasing stress levels.
• Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for employee use during a scheduled break time. Consider offering relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.
• Offer a stress management brown bag event at which employees can try different types stress management tools.
• Encourage employees to take ten-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Display reminders.
• Provide a comfortable employee break area.
• Establish a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, if possible.
• Work with Senior Leadership to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the worksite. Supervisors are often the first step in helping employees find different ways of managing work related stressors.
• Contact the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) for a variety of stress management information and self-assessments.
• Provide stress management self-assessments to interested workers. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a area guest speaker.

Mental Health and Wellness

Emotions and mental health greatly affect overall health and wellness. Every Employee Wellness Program must incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health concerns.

Mental health topics can be sensitive areas for staff members. Therefore, it is valuable to provide information in a variety of ways, worksite presentations being just one possibility. For example, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to provide useful information in a private setting that does not embarrass anyone. Other considerations include:
• When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will be sure potential participants won’t be put off by the name. By way of example, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent University” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.
• Be sure to allot enough time when hosting EAP/mental health classes for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions. Always remind participants that individual help is available through the EAP and also through their health benefits. Offer written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.
• The Employee Assistance Program(EAP) is an excellent partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas. The EAP can help learn ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related problems.

Tobacco Cessation

Smoking cessation assistance is a worthwhile wellness activity. Smoking is often a difficult habit to overcome. Workplace wellness activities to support “tobacco-free” living include:
• Use American Lung Association resource. These include the Freedom From Smoking group and/or video-tutorial. There is also a follow-up video “A Lifetime of Freedom From Smoking”.
• Reward people who have successfully quit smoking for six months with an appropriate “kicked the habit” certificate and some sort of incentive gift.
• Provide “cold turkey” sandwiches to smokers who pledge to quit during the Great American Smokeout.
• Implement a “quitting or thinking about it” backing group to help  and bolster people trying to stop smoking.

Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Addictions

If a substance abuse policy is not in place in your workplace, advocate that one be developed. Request a knowledgeable Company Wellness Program Committee member be included in the policy development process. If such a policy is already in place make sure Company Wellness Program Committee members are alert to the policy and have a thorough understanding of it. From time to time, remind staff members of wellness resources and programs available.
• Invite AA, NA, AI-Anon, and other groups to meet in a organization building and/or publicize neighborhood gatherings.
• Serve non-alcoholic drinks whenever alcohol is served, and make sure food is always served along with alcoholic beverages.
• Give easily accessible information about counseling, referral, and treatment programs available in the neighborhood. Put this information in an area where it can be viewed without embarrassment.
• When delivering wellness programs include information about responsible alcohol use on stress/weight management, diet, physical fitness, smoking, and accident prevention.
• Issues such as co-dependence and the difficulty of supporting a substance abuser can also be addressed. Offer this information as part of the wellness program by providing informational materials, brown bag sessions, EAP information, etc.
• The Employee Assistance Program(EAP) provider is an great resource for substance abuse wellness programming and or employee assistance.
• Other addictions, such as problem gambling, food addiction, shopping, Internet addiction, etc., can be an issue and can reach the point of affecting a person’s life and work. Offer information, video review, or employee assistance sessions discussing these topics.
• A Workplace Wellness Program Committee member may gain personal information regarding a employee issue. Remember to keep all employee information fully confidential.

Interest in increasing physical activity ranks nearly as high as weight management in employee interest and need. Ideas for expanding employee awareness and participation in physical activities follow:

• Fitness classes in the worksite: Onsite exercise can be much more convenient for workers. Nevertheless, worksite classes require logistical planning and coordination with attention to details. Onsite classes are generally more feasible for larger organizations. As part of the steps in planning and assessment, talk with other Company Health Promotion Programs offering worksite classes. Ask what their experience has been like. Speak to potential vendors in the area as well. Find out what it would take to offer an on-Site fitness class. YMCA’s, health clubs, and neighborhood recreation programs are great resources for this kind of discussion. It is also feasible to offer a “mini” introductory worksite class series. A mini series might consist of an introduction to a new physical activity area. Workers are then expected to make the transition to home or neighborhood based programs.
• Nerf Olympics: Nerf games are fun (and entertaining) activities that bolster movement, flexibility, stress reduction, and usually are a good laugh. When organizing such an exercise consider setting up a “challenge” stations with various activities. Ideas for activities include hula hoop contests, Nerf basketball free throws, Nerf football tosses, Frisbee “golf”, jump rope, etc. The Wellness Team will lay out the course. Each participant goes through the stations and gets a “gold” medal (you can buy these at party stores and toy stores inexpensively) for completing all of the stations (no matter how badly they perform). Start each participant at intervals allowing for smooth running, but expect high difficulty stations to be backed up. This delay can add to the fun and creates a ‘keystone cops’ scenario. Nerf Olympics is a good exercise to do with an audience, so bolster cheering coworkers.
• Provide incentives/rewards to employees who engage in aerobic exercise such as walking, running and bicycling on their own time (see goal setting program, offer points toward prizes, etc.).
• Give out maps of walking/jogging trails located near the worksite. Mark distances in steps and miles. Urge workers to walk during lunch and/or break times. Post a steps accumulated map on a worksite wall where workers can log their steps or miles.
• Encourage joggers, walkers, and those who enjoying other forms of exercise to form fitness groups to meet before work, at lunch, or after work.
• Promote the use of stairs rather than elevators. Place bulletin boards, art contests, etc., in stairwells.
• Develop “Bike-to-Work” or Walk-to-Work week.
• Provide five-minute desk stretching at the worksite. This can relieve repetitive motion concerns as well as eye and back strain.
• Offer a personal challenge exercise such as “Climb a Mountain” or “Swim a Sea”. This is an honor system program in which participating staff members are awarded minutes, steps, or miles credit for cardiovascular exercise (swimming, walking, running, skiing, biking, stair stepping, aerobics, etc.). The object of this type of challenge is to accumulate the equivalent mileage it would take to reach the top of a famous mountain, span a body of water (swim the Columbia River), or reach a distant city/county. Try personalizing the challenge as much as possible to individual interests and/or area geographical matches close to the workplace.
• Accumulate a variety of exercise video or DVD tapes. Workers can either check out a tape for home use, or offer a group activity video class.
• If it is not possible for employee to leave the building to work out at lunch, try adopting an in-house aerobic walking track for employee use in an unused part of the workplace for lunch, break or after hours use. An example of how this problem might be solved is the use of stationary bikes and other small exercise equipment provided for employee by some 911 call centers.
• Offer a “Personal Best” Challenge”. Staff Members run, walk, bike, etc. their own personal best time. Repeat the personal best challenge each quarter to six months. Each time an employee improves, offer recognition and an appropriate award. Also, recognize those employees who maintain their personal best in the same way. Urge non-participating employees to get involved. Assist these individuals in choosing an exercise that is comfortable and of interest for them, and one in which they can succeed and progress.
• When you offer an introductory or other workplace exercise class or activity, make sure the instructor can relate to the audience, and the audience can relate to the instructor. Have a Company Health Promotion Program Committee member catch a current class by the selected instructor class prior to the instructor delivering a class at workplace. Also, consider the employees who may be potentially attending the class. Occasionally larger and/or older exercise instructors are frequently better accepted by audiences who are similarly sized and aged.
• Develop a themed “virtual” trek. Calculate the mileage for the proposed “trip” ahead of time. Be sure that the distance is appropriate for the number of expected participants and time for the event (six to eight weeks) works well. For longer events, small teams can accumulate their mileage for the trip. Establish a reporting network. Post a map to track the trip. Chart the progress with stick pins, a magic marker, or a highlighter. Give a brief humorous fictional narrative of the trip, posting a new one each week. Include as many participants’ names as possible. Alternate posting humorous texts with health tips along the way. Give an incentive at the end of the trip.

Ideas For Physical Activity Themes:

• Swim the Mississippi to the Mardi gras.
• Take a tour to all Oregon counties.
• Take a tour of Oregon from Enterprise to Brookings.
• Run or walk around the world (25,000 miles).
• Tour de France (take all summer)
• Tour de France on a stationary bike (take all winter)
• Indianapolis 500
• Climb Mount Everest (stairs or stair climbers). Target Sir Edmund Hilary’s birthday or the anniversary of the first conquest as a completion date.
• Climb Mount Washington or Mt. Hood. Target President’s Day as a completion date.
• Climb any significant mountain and tie it to any remotely related event.
• Use time in exercise as a measurement for the contest rather than distance. This allows you to treat all forms of aerobic exercise more equitably.

employees generally enjoy sharing nutritional tips and trying new foods. Develop a “nutrition cook-off” and/or healthy potlucks.
• Nutrition cook-off. Teams of employees set a menu in advance and bring in prepared foods for an official competition. A dietician from the health department or local hospital or community serves as the judge. Dishes and foods are evaluated based on both health considerations and taste. Following the event, a cookbook of the teams’ recipes can be created and distributed to the entire employee.
• Cholesterol Control or “Down Under” Club. People with cholesterol over 200 mg. are invited to voluntarily take part. The invitation needs to be extended to all workers as the Wellness Team will not have (nor ought to have) access to personal health information. Provide a variety of services to assist  in decreasing cardiac risks. Gordian Health Solutions offers blood lipid management health programs for workers qualifying by cholesterol score. If employee gets cholesterol numbers below 200 in six months, offer an incentive such as a prize to continue progress. Continue to supply information and reminders for continued blood lipid control.
• Label reading contest. Create a particular food or food category. Staff Members must discover the designated products with the lowest/highest fat content in the grocery store. Give coupons or other prizes for predetermined number of winners or participants. Or, provide samples of healthier food choices based on label information. Show how these compare to less healthy choices. Put up results of the contest in the employee break room or at an employee brown bag event.

Other Workplace Wellness Program Nutrition Suggestions:

• Offer freshly brewed decaffeinated coffee and herbal tea.
• Offer a healthy food “bake-off’ once a year.
• Offer sugar and salt substitutes in the lunchroom.
• At gatherings, replace sweet rolls and donuts with bran muffins, wholewheat bagels, or fresh fruit. Consider offering other decaffeinated coffee and herbal teas plus no-sugar fruit juices.
• Serve free popcorn in the break area.
• Establish a cookbook featuring healthy recipes contributed by employees.
• Fruit or veggie of the week (or month). Display an “exotic” fruit or vegetable in your lunchroom and see if coworkers know what it is. Employees can put their name and the name of the item on an index card. These can be used to conduct a prize drawing at the end of the week from the cards with the correct answer. To add fun, bolster people to put down funny answers when in doubt of the real name of the item. Read some of those names during the prize drawing, and offer a prize for the most creative name. Divide the fruit or vegetable at the drawing and let those interested taste it. Be sure it can be eaten raw. “Unusual” food items like star fruit are now readily available in grocery stores work well for this activity as many people have not tried these types of produce.

Weight management is a primary area of both employee interest and need. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the clinical measure that indicates whether individuals are in a healthy weight range or are overweight or obese. The BMI is a measure of a person’s overall height to their overall weight. Height and weight are measured during the Healthy Benefits assessment. A computer mathematical calculation supports the BMI score. Gordian health management programs are available for Healthy Benefits participants who qualify based on their BMI score, and who are interested in a weight management program.

Ideas for worksite based weight management programs include:
• Have Weight Watchers, TOPS, or other reputable weight management groups meet in your workplace or nearby. Offer such groups before/after work or at lunchtime. Employee attendance is generally better if workers can attend either wholly or partially on work time. Break times may be rolled into lunch break times to minimize employee time away from work duties (with management approval). workers usually pay their own fees for class attendance and supporting materials.
• If the wellness program offers incentives based on participation, award a completion gift when employee has attended a certain number of weight management sessions or activities.
• Supply information regarding community weight management groups.
• Incentives such as cash, tee shirts, plaques, certificates, hours/days off, names on bulletin boards can be given to individuals who write a weight loss contract and meet their objective.
• Establish a workplace commitment to offer alternative healthy snacks at organization-sponsored gatherings. Healthy snacks such as fruit, pretzels, plain popcorn, almonds, and veggies provide demonstration as to the employer’s commitment to health and employee well being.

Every workplace will have employees who won’t take part in provided workplace wellness activities. But these same employees may be following a myriad of healthy practices in their daily living. A good wellness program ought to give these individuals credit and recognition for their good work.

Recognition of healthy goal setting and goal achievement is a good approach for reinforcing what individuals are doing on their own outside of work, and for reaching those who don’t like group activities. Suggested steps for individual goals/objectives and recognition include:
• A form employees can fill out which includes the set objective(s) and a target date for completion.
• Information on setting realistic goals and objectives, as individuals frequently overestimate what they can do and by when. It’s wonderful to remind workers “baby steps” count!
• Maintain a confidential file of the submitted employee objective forms in a dated “tickler” system.
• Send a reminder to each employee at the time of each participant’s goal date. This reminder might be a copy of their original goal form. Ask for employee’s feedback regarding their goal(s): completed the goal, need an extension, or have discontinued the goal.
• When the form is returned from an employee:
   1. If an employee has completed the goal, a certificate of completion is received along with a prize or incentive item linked to the goal (if possible).
   2. If the employee renegotiates the deadline or the goal, the form is re-filed for future follow-up. Continue to encourage the employee.
   3. If the objective is canceled, send a note acknowledging this “good try” and encourage the employee to try again when the timing is right.
• Allow those interested in this process to set goals/objectives any time and as often as they want.

Walking Club

Walking clubs or “trekking” can either be done in real time (by scheduling walking groups), or clubs can be set it up so individuals do their walking on their own and keep a shared log at work. Following a certain number of miles or steps are logged, staff members are eligible for membership into the walking “club” and receive something like a prize (a walking pin, similar to the ones that volkswalkers get, or a certificate of membership). Ways to continue interest in walking groups include:

• Regualr announcements about neighborhood walking events. Keep abreast of events in the neighborhood, Parks & Recreation programs, available tracks, inside walking options, volkswalking events, etc.
• Periodic information specific to walkers; such as what to look for when buying a pair of walking shoes.
• Consider a worksite team to take part in a local fundraiser walk, such as the March of Dimes walk.
• A walking club can be the kind of “club” that never really meets, or it can be the kind that does provide the option for those who are interested in group walks and activities.

Health Awareness Video Programming

Many wonderful health related videos and DVDs are available through loan programs either at no or low costs. Select video programming based on employee interests and needs.

• Schedule periodic health video viewings at lunchtime brown bag sessions.
• The videos can be related to health or other related wellness issues like monetary planning, caring for aging parents, or even humor as a “break” from the work routine.
• Preview videos before showing them to insure they are appropriate, not too long, etc.
• Have a Worksite Wellness Program Committee Host moderate the viewing, greet individuals, and lead a brief discussion after the video. Organize one or two questions for discussion after previewing the video and use these to lead the discussion. Many health videos come with group discussion questions.
• Supply a pertinent educational flyers for participants to take with them for more information on the topic.
• If possible, provide popcorn or fruit as a snack.
• Offer a prize drawing (or points if you are doing that kind of incentive program) for those attending the video program and discussion.

Wellness Mentors

Every workplace generally has at least a couple of employees who have successfully made changes in their health. Often, other employees will relate to one of their peers. Peer reinforcement can go a long ways in encouraging healthy changes.

• Seek volunteers from the work force who have experienced a disease resulting from an unhealthy behavior, or survived or recovered from a disease that just happens like breast cancer, and who have successfully made beneficial changes.
• Join these success story workers with workers struggling with similar health problems.
• Both workers participating in the mentoring process are doing so on a voluntary basis. Respect the privacy of this very special relationship.
• A Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee person can be involved from a peripheral standpoint, and be available to share other resources that might be significant to both workers.